Optical touch film, display device including the same, and manufacturing method thereof

ABSTRACT

An optical touch film includes a sensor layer, an optical film, an adhesive layer, a separation layer, and a refractive insulating layer. The sensor layer includes touch electrodes forming a sensor. The adhesive layer is between the sensor layer and the optical film. The separation layer is on a surface of the sensor layer. The separation layer includes an organic polymer material. The refractive insulating layer is on the touch electrodes. A refractive index of the refractive insulating layer is greater than a refractive index of the separation layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2016-0073183, filed Jun. 13, 2016, and Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2017-0066929, filed May 30, 2017, each of which ishereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forthherein.

BACKGROUND Field

The disclosure generally relates to an optical touch film, a displaydevice including the same, and a manufacturing method thereof.

Discussion

A display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organiclight emitting diode (OLED) display, typically includes a pixelelectrode and an electro-optical active layer. For example, an OLEDdisplay may include an organic emission layer as the electro-opticalactive layer, and an LCD may include a liquid crystal layer as theelectro-optical active layer. The pixel electrode can be connected to aswitching element, such as a thin film transistor, to be applied with adata signal, and the electro-optical active layer can convert the datasignal into an optical signal to display an image.

A display device may also include a sensing function for enablinginteractions with a user in addition to a function of displaying animage. The sensing function is a function that may determine whether anobject approaches or contacts a screen of the display device, and canprovide contact information about a contact position, etc., by detectinga change in pressure, charge, acoustics, or light that are applied to ascreen when a user approaches or contacts the screen with a finger, atouch pen, etc., to input characters, draw pictures, and/or otherwiseinteract with the display device. The display device may receive animage signal to display an image based on the contact information.

A sensing function may be realized through a sensor. The sensor may beclassified according to various methods, such as a resistive type, acapacitive type, an electro-magnetic (EM) type, an acoustic type, anoptical type, etc. Among these methods, a capacitive type of sensortypically includes a plurality of touch electrodes to transmit adetection signal. A touch electrode may form a sensing capacitor aloneor with an adjacent touch electrode. If a conductor, such as a finger,approaches or comes in contact with the sensor (or the screen of thedisplay device), a change in capacitance is generated by the detectioncapacitor or a change in a charged amount, thereby enabling a contactexistence and a contact position to be determined.

A plurality of touch electrodes may be disposed at a touch sensingregion of a display device in which the contact can be sensed, and maybe connected to a plurality of signal transmitting wires transmitting adetection signal. A sensor may be formed inside the display device(e.g., an in-cell type sensor), or may be formed directly on an outsidesurface of the display device (e.g., an on-cell type sensor). As anotherexample, a separate touch sensor unit (or module) may be attached to thedisplay device (e.g., an add-on cell type sensor). A touch-sensitiveflexible display device usually includes a film with a sensor, and thefilm is typically attached to a display panel of the flexible displaydevice in the add-on cell type manner.

The above information disclosed in this section is only for enhancementof an understanding of the background of the inventive concepts, and,therefore, it may contain information that does not form prior artalready known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

SUMMARY

Some exemplary embodiments are capable of reducing a thickness and amanufacturing cost of a display device including a sensing function. Itis also noted that some exemplary embodiments are also capable ofimproving optical characteristics (e.g., increasing transmittance,reducing color change or shift, and/or the like) of the display device.

Additional aspects will be set forth in the detailed description whichfollows, and, in part, will be apparent from the disclosure, or may belearned by practice of the inventive concepts.

According to some exemplary embodiments, an optical touch film includesa sensor layer, an optical film, a curing-type adhesive layer, aseparation layer, and a refractive insulating layer. The sensor layerincludes touch electrodes forming a sensor. The curing-type adhesivelayer is between the sensor layer and the optical film. The separationlayer is on a surface of the sensor layer. The separation layer includesan organic polymer material. The refractive insulating layer is at alayer contacting the touch electrodes. A refractive index of therefractive insulating layer is greater than a refractive index of theseparation layer.

According to some exemplary embodiments, a display device includes adisplay panel and an optical touch film. The optical touch film includesa sensor layer, an optical film, a curing-type adhesive layer, aseparation layer, and a refractive insulating layer. The sensor layerincludes touch electrodes forming a sensor. The curing-type adhesivelayer is between the sensor layer and the optical film. The separationlayer is on a surface of the sensor layer. The separation layer includesan organic polymer material. The refractive insulating layer is at alayer contacting the touch electrodes. A refractive index of therefractive insulating layer is greater than a refractive index of theseparation layer.

According to some exemplary embodiments, a method of manufacturing adisplay device includes coating a separation layer including an organicpolymer material on a carrier substrate; forming a sensor layer on theseparation layer; separating the sensor layer and the separation layerfrom the carrier substrate; and curing an adhesive layer between thesensor layer and an optical film. The sensor layer includes touchelectrodes and a refractive insulating layer contacting the touchelectrodes. A refractive index of the refractive insulating is greaterthan a refractive index of the separation layer.

According to some exemplary embodiments, an optical touch film includesa sensor layer, an optical film, an adhesive layer, a separation layer,and a refractive insulating layer. The sensor layer includes touchelectrodes forming a sensor. The optical film is on the sensor layer.The adhesive layer is between the sensor layer and the optical film. Theseparation layer is on a surface of the sensor layer. The separationlayer includes an organic polymer material. The refractive insulatinglayer is on the touch electrodes. A refractive index of the refractiveinsulating layer is greater than a refractive index of the separationlayer.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed descriptionare exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the inventive concepts, and are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplaryembodiments of the inventive concepts, and, together with thedescription, serve to explain principles of the inventive concepts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto some exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a display panel of a display deviceaccording to some exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an optical touch film included in adisplay device according to some exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the optical touch film ofFIG. 3 according to some exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the optical touch film of FIG. 4taken along sectional line IV-IV′ according to some exemplaryembodiments.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of an intermediate product at anintermediate step of a process of manufacturing an optical touch filmaccording to some exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 8 through 31 are cross-sectional views of optical touch filmsincluded in display devices according to various exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various exemplary embodiments. It is apparent, however,that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various exemplaryembodiments. Further, various exemplary embodiments may be different,but do not have to be exclusive. For example, specific shapes,configurations, and characteristics of an exemplary embodiment may beimplemented in another exemplary embodiment without departing from thespirit and the scope of the disclosure.

Unless otherwise specified, the illustrated exemplary embodiments are tobe understood as providing exemplary features of varying detail of someexemplary embodiments. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, thefeatures, components, modules, layers, films, panels, regions, aspects,etc. (hereinafter individually or collectively referred to as“elements”), of the various illustrations may be otherwise combined,separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged without departing from thedisclosed exemplary embodiments.

The use of cross-hatching and/or shading in the accompanying drawings isgenerally provided to clarify boundaries between adjacent elements. Assuch, neither the presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shadingconveys or indicates any preference or requirement for particularmaterials, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalitiesbetween illustrated elements, and/or any other characteristic,attribute, property, etc., of the elements, unless specified. Further,in the accompanying drawings, the size and relative sizes of elementsmay be exaggerated for clarity and/or descriptive purposes. When anexemplary embodiment may be implemented differently, a specific processorder may be performed differently from the described order. Forexample, two consecutively described processes may be performedsubstantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to thedescribed order. Also, like reference numerals denote like elements.

When an element is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or“coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, connected to, orcoupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present.When, however, an element is referred to as being “directly on,”“directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element, thereare no intervening elements present. Further, the Dr1-axis, theDr2-axis, and the Dr3-axis are not limited to three axes of arectangular coordinate system, and may be interpreted in a broadersense. For example, the Dr1-axis, the Dr2-axis, and the Dr3-axis may beperpendicular to one another, or may represent different directions thatare not perpendicular to one another. For the purposes of thisdisclosure, “at least one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least one selectedfrom the group consisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as X only, Yonly, Z only, or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as,for instance, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items.

Although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein todescribe various elements, these elements should not be limited by theseterms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from anotherelement. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed a secondelement without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “under,” “lower,”“above,” “upper,” “over,” and the like, may be used herein fordescriptive purposes, and, thereby, to describe one element'srelationship to another element(s) as illustrated in the drawings.Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of an apparatus in use, operation, and/or manufacture inaddition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, ifthe apparatus in the drawings is turned over, elements described as“below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented“above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below”can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Furthermore, theapparatus may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or atother orientations), and, as such, the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover,the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one ormore other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms“substantially,” “about,” and other similar terms, are used as terms ofapproximation and not as terms of degree, and, as such, are utilized toaccount for inherent deviations in measured, calculated, and/or providedvalues that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference tosectional and/or exploded illustrations that are schematic illustrationsof idealized exemplary embodiments and/or intermediate structures. Assuch, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should not beconstrued as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions,but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance,manufacturing. In this manner, regions illustrated in the drawings areschematic in nature and shapes of these regions may not illustrate theactual shapes of regions of a device, and, as such, are not intended tobe limiting.

As customary in the field, some exemplary embodiments are described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings in terms of functional blocks,units, and/or modules. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatthese blocks, units, and/or modules are physically implemented byelectronic (or optical) circuits, such as logic circuits, discretecomponents, microprocessors, hard-wired circuits, memory elements,wiring connections, and the like, which may be formed usingsemiconductor-based fabrication techniques or other manufacturingtechnologies. In the case of the blocks, units, and/or modules beingimplemented by microprocessors or other similar hardware, they may beprogrammed and controlled using software (e.g., microcode) to performvarious functions discussed herein and may optionally be driven byfirmware and/or software. It is also contemplated that each block, unit,and/or module may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or as acombination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions and aprocessor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associatedcircuitry) to perform other functions. Also, each block, unit, and/ormodule of some exemplary embodiments may be physically separated intotwo or more interacting and discrete blocks, units, and/or moduleswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts.Further, the blocks, units, and/or modules of some exemplary embodimentsmay be physically combined into more complex blocks, units, and/ormodules without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventiveconcepts

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms,such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in anidealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein. Asused herein, the phrase “on a plane” means viewing an object portionfrom the top, and the phrase “on a cross-section” means viewing across-section of a vertically cut object portion from a side.

A display device according to some exemplary embodiments will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 5.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto some exemplary embodiments. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of adisplay panel of a display device according to some exemplaryembodiments. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an optical touch filmincluded in a display device according to some exemplary embodiments.FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the optical touch film ofFIG. 3 according to some exemplary embodiments. FIG. 5 is across-sectional view of the optical touch film of FIG. 4 taken alongsectional line IV-IV′ according to some exemplary embodiments.

Display device 1 is a display device having a sensing function that canenable the sensation (or detection) of a user interaction, such as anexternal touch. The display device 1 includes a display panel 300 todisplay an image, an optical touch film 600, and a controller 700.

The display panel 300 and the optical touch film 600 may have a mainsurface extending on a plane parallel to a first direction Dr1 and asecond direction Dr2. The main surface of the display panel 300 and theoptical touch film 600 may be observed when viewed in a third directionDr3 perpendicular to the first direction Dr1 and the second directionDr2. At least part of the display panel 300 and the optical touch film600 may be flexible, and, thereby, deformable, such as by bending,curving, or rolling.

Referring to FIG. 1, the display panel 300 and the optical touch film600 may be disposed to be close in a direction parallel to the thirddirection Dr3. The optical touch film 600 may be attached on the displaypanel 300 in the third direction Dr3.

Referring to FIG. 2, the display panel 300 includes a display area DA inwhich a plurality of pixels PX (each pixel PX being a unit to display animage) is positioned. The display panel 300 may include a displayelement of at least one structure, such as a liquid crystal panelincluding a liquid crystal layer (not shown), an organic light emittingpanel including an organic light emitting element (not illustrated),etc.

Referring to FIG. 5, when viewing a cross-sectional structure, theoptical touch film 600 may include an optical film 550, a sensor layer400, an adhesive layer 10, and a separation layer 120 a. The adhesivelayer 10 may be positioned between the optical film 550 and the sensorlayer 400. The separation layer 120 a may be positioned at any surfaceof the sensor layer 400. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the adhesivelayer 10 and the separation layer 120 a are in contact with each other.Further, according to some exemplary embodiments, the optical film 550may be positioned between the sensor layer 400 and the display panel300, but exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto or thereby. Forinstance, the sensor layer 400 may be disposed between the display panel300 and the optical film 550.

An exemplary structure of the sensor layer 400 will be described in moredetail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

Referring to FIG. 3, the sensor layer 400 of the optical touch film 600may include a touch area TA and a peripheral area PA on a plane.

The touch area TA as an area that is capable of sensing a touch of anexternal object. The touch area TA may correspond to and overlap thedisplay area DA of the display panel 300. Here, the touch of theexternal object includes a case in which the external object approachesthe display device 1 or hovers in an approached state, as well as a casein which the external object, such as a finger of a user, contacts thedisplay device 1 in the touch area TA. For descriptive convenience,exemplary embodiments will be described in association with cases inwhich the external object contacts the display device 1 in the toucharea TA.

A sensor that is capable of sensing the contact is positioned in thetouch area TA. The sensor may sense the contact in at least one ofvarious schemes. For example, the sensor may be a sensor of a resistivetype, a capacitive type, an electro-magnetic (EM) type, an acoustictype, and/or an optical type. For descriptive convenience, the structureof a capacitive type sensor, and, more particularly, a sensor of amutual capacitive type will be described in more detail in associationwith exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 3, the sensor may include a plurality of touchelectrodes. In the case of a sensor of a mutual capacitive type, theplurality of touch electrodes may include a plurality of first touchelectrodes 410 and a plurality of second touch electrodes 420 that areseparated from each other.

The first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420 arealternately dispersed in the touch area TA to not substantially overlapeach other, as will become more apparent below. The first touchelectrodes 410 may be disposed according to a column direction and a rowdirection, and the second touch electrodes 420 may also be disposedaccording to the column direction and the row direction. The first touchelectrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420 may be substantiallypositioned at the same layer; however, exemplary embodiments are notlimited thereto or thereby.

First touch electrodes 410 arranged in the same column or row may beconnected to each other or may be separated from each other inside oroutside the touch area TA. At least portions of second touch electrodes420 arranged in the same column or row may be connected to each other ormay be separated from each other inside or outside the touch area TA.For example, as shown in FIG. 3, first touch electrodes 410 disposed inthe same row may be connected in the touch area TA, and second touchelectrodes 420 disposed in the same column may be connected to eachother in the touch area TA.

According to some exemplary embodiments, first touch electrodes 410positioned in each row may be connected to each other through a firstconnection part 412, and second touch electrodes 420 positioned in eachcolumn may be connected to each other through a second connection part422.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the second connection part 422 connectingadjacent second touch electrodes 420 may be positioned in the same layeras the second touch electrodes 420, and may include the same material asthe second touch electrodes 420. That is, the second touch electrodes420 and the second connection part 422 may be integral and may besimultaneously patterned in a manufacturing process. The firstconnection part 412 connecting adjacent first touch electrodes 410 maybe positioned at a different layer from the first touch electrodes 410.That is, the first touch electrodes 410 and the first connection part412 may be separately formed in different processes.

According to some exemplary embodiments, the first connection part 412and the first touch electrodes 410 may be positioned at the same layerand may be integrally formed with one another, and the second connectionpart 422 may be positioned at a different layer from the second touchelectrodes 420.

A first insulating layer 430 is positioned between the first connectionpart 412 and the second connection part 422, and insulates the firstconnection part 412 and the second connection part 422 from each other.The first insulating layer 430 may include contact holes 435respectively exposing the adjacent first touch electrodes 410 to connectthe first connection part 412 to the adjacent first touch electrodes410.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first touch electrodes 410 of each row may beconnected to a pad part 450 in the peripheral area PA through firsttouch wires 411, and the second touch electrodes 420 of each column maybe connected to the pad part 450 in the peripheral area PA throughsecond touch wires 421. In some exemplary embodiments, at least part ofthe first touch wires 411 and the second touch wires 421 may bepositioned in the touch area TA.

The first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420 mayhave a determined transmittance or more so that light may betransmitted. For example, the first touch electrodes 410 and the secondtouch electrodes 420 may be made of a transparent conductive material,such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), a thin metallayer like silver nanowire (AgNW), metal mesh, carbon nanotube (CNT),and a conductive polymer.

The first touch wires 411 and the second touch wires 421 may include thetransparent conductive material included in the first touch electrodes410 and the second touch electrodes 420, and may further include arelatively low resistance material, such as molybdenum (Mo), silver(Ag), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), and/or aluminum (Al). In someexemplary embodiments, the first touch wires 410 and the second touchwires 420 may have a multilayer structure of one or more of theaforementioned materials, such as a multilayer structure ofmolybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/Al/Mo). FIG. 5 shows an example inwhich the first touch wires 411 include a first conductive layer 411 aand a second conductive layer 411 b that are deposited on one anotherwith respect to the third direction Dr3. It is noted that the structureof the first touch wires 411 illustrated in FIG. 5 may be applied inassociation with the second touch wires 421. The first conductive layer411 a may be positioned at the same layer as the first touch electrodes410, and may include the same material as the first touch electrodes410. The second conductive layer 411 b may be positioned on the firstconductive layer 411 a and may include the low resistance material, suchas a metal.

The first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420adjacent to each other form a mutual sensing capacitor that functions asthe sensor. The mutual sensing capacitor may receive a sensing inputsignal through one touch electrode of the first touch electrodes 410 andthe second touch electrodes 420, and may output a change in a chargeamount associated with a contact of the external object as a sensingoutput signal through the other touch electrode of the first touchelectrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420.

Different from FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of first touch electrodes 410and a plurality of second touch electrodes 420 may be respectivelyconnected to touch wiring (not shown). In this case, each touchelectrode may form a self-sensing capacitance that functions as thesensor. The self-sensing capacitor may be charged with a determinedcharge amount by receiving the sensing input signal, and in response tothe contact of the external object, such as a finger, a change in thecharge amount can be generated and the sensing output signal that isdifferent from the input sensing input signal may be output to, forinstance, the controller 700.

Referring to FIG. 5, the sensor layer 400 may further include a secondinsulating layer 440 positioned on the first connection part 412 and thefirst insulating layer 430. In this manner, a main surface of the sensorlayer 400 includes a first surface SA1 and a second surface SA2. Thefirst surface SA1 and the second surface SA2 form surfaces of the sensorlayer 400 facing each other. Among the first surface SA1 and the secondsurface SA2, the surface that is closer to the first touch electrodes410 and the second touch electrodes 420 among the first connection part412, the first touch electrodes 410, and the second touch electrodes 420is referred to as the first surface SA1, and the opposite surface of thefirst surface SA1 is referred as the second surface SA2. The positionsof the first surface SA1 and the second surface SA2 may be changed. Thatis, the second surface SA2 may be located in a position closer to thedisplay panel 300 than the first surface SA1.

As seen in FIG. 5, the optical film 550 may be positioned between thesensor layer 400 and the display panel 300. The adhesive layer 10 may bepositioned between the sensor layer 400 and the optical film 550. Theadhesive layer 10 may be in contact with a surface of the optical film550, e.g., such as a surface of the optical film 550 that opposes thefirst surface SA1 of the sensor layer 400.

The adhesive layer 10 may include an organic polymer material, and maybe a curable-type adhesive, such as a thermosetting-type or anultraviolet (UV) light curable-type unlike a typical adhesive that doesnot change the material itself, but can be adhered to other materials bythe viscosity of the adhesive itself. As such, the adhesive layer 10includes a cured (or hardened) adhesive material.

The separation layer 120 a may be positioned between the adhesive layer10 and the sensor layer 400, or on the second surface SA2 of the sensorlayer 400. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the separation layer 120 ais positioned between the sensor layer 400 and the adhesive layer 10. Inthis case, the adhesive layer 10 may be directly adjacent to and incontact with the separation layer 120 a. The adhesive layer 10 may bepositioned between the separation layer 120 a and the optical film 550,thereby adhering the separation layer 120 a and the optical film 550 toeach other.

The separation layer 120 a may include the organic polymer material. Forexample, the separation layer 120 a may include at least one ofpolyimide, polyvinyl alcohol, polyamic acid, polyamide, polyethylene,polystyrene, polynorbornene, a phenylmaleimide copolymer,polyazobenzene, polyphenylenephthalamide, polyester, polymethylmethacrylate, polyarylate, a cinnamate-based polymer, a coumarin-basedpolymer, a phthalimidine-based polymer, a chalcone-based polymer, and anaromatic acetylene-based polymer. The separation layer 120 a may furtherinclude an inorganic material besides the organic polymer material.

The separation layer 120 a may have a larger adhesion force with respectto the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420than with respect to glass. The thickness of the separation layer 120 ain the third direction Dr3 may be about 1 micrometer to about 100micrometers, but exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto orthereby.

Unlike as seen in FIG. 5, the optical film 550 may be positioned on thesecond surface SA2 of the sensor layer 400. In this manner, the adhesivelayer 10 may be positioned between the second surface SA2 and theoptical film 550.

In some exemplary embodiments, the optical film 550 may include at leastone is among a transparent film and a polarization film. The transparentfilm may be an isotropic film. The polarization film (e.g., a film forimprovement of optical characteristics) may include at least onepolarization layer and at least one phase retardation layer. Thepolarization layer may include a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and may furtherinclude at least one supporting member. The polarization film may be acircular polarization film, and, in this case, the polarization film mayinclude a linear polarization layer and a quarter wavelength phaseretardation layer. In a case that the optical film 550 is a polarizationfilm, the phase retardation layer in the polarization film may bebetween the polarization layer and the display panel 300. That is, thepolarization layer may be positioned between the phase retardation layerand the sensor layer 400.

The optical film 550 may function to prevent (or reduce) external lightfrom being reflected from the display panel 300, an electrode (e.g., thefirst touch electrodes 410, the second touch electrodes 420, etc.),and/or wiring included in, for instance, the sensor layer 400 from beingrecognized. In other words, light that is incident inside the displaydevice 1 passes through the optical film 550, is reflected by anunderlying electrode or wiring, and is again incident to the opticalfilm 550 and causes destructive interference with ambient light incidentto the optical film 550 such that the light may not be recognizedoutside of the display device 1.

In a manufacturing process of the optical touch film 600, according tosome exemplary embodiments, the sensor layer 400 is formed on theseparation layer 120 a after forming the separation layer 120 a on aseparate carrier substrate (not shown). The sensor layer 400 isseparated from the carrier substrate along with the separation layer 120a, and the separated sensor layer 400 and the separation layer 120 a areattached to a surface of the optical film 550 using the adhesive layer10. In this manner, the optical film 550 is not damaged by the processfor forming the sensor layer 400. It is also noted that the optical film550 and the sensor layer 400 may have a relatively high adherence andfixing force. Accordingly, when the display device 1 is flexible, apotential for separation between the optical film 550 and the sensorlayer 400 is reduced or eliminated such that a defect is not generated.

Conventionally, films functioning as a sensing layer and an optical filmare respectively formed and attached to a display panel; however,according to some exemplary embodiments, since the sensor layer 400 isattached on the optical film 550 through the adhesive layer 10, oneoptical touch film 600 having a sensing function that also improves theoptical characteristics of the display device 1 may replace two or moreconventional films. Accordingly, the entire thickness of the displaydevice 1 may be reduced. In the case of a flexible display device, thereduced thickness also reduces stress when the display device 1 isdeformed. Further, the optical touch film 600 having the plurality offunctions, such as the sensing function and the optical characteristicimprovement function, only includes one film such that a film cost maybe reduced and manufacturing cost of the display device 1 may bereduced. Moreover, a number of films positioned on the display panel 300may be minimized (or reduced) such that transmittance of an imagedisplayed via the display panel 300 may be increased and a color change(or shift) may be minimized (or reduced).

Adverting back to FIG. 1, the controller 700 may control an operation ofthe display panel 300 and the optical touch film 600. For instance, thecontroller 700 may receive an input image signal from a source (e.g., anoutside source) and may apply the signal to the display panel 300 basedon the input image signal. The controller 700 may be connected to thesensor of the optical touch film 600, thereby controlling the operationof the sensor. That is, the controller 700 may transmit the sensinginput signal to the sensor or may receive the sensing output signal tobe processed, thereby generating contact information, such as contactexistence information and contact position information.

In some exemplary embodiments, the controller 700 may be directlymounted on the display panel 300 or the optical touch film 600 in atleast one integrated circuit (IC) chip form, mounted on a flexibleprinted circuit film (not illustrated) to be attached to the displaypanel 300 or the optical touch film 600 in a tape carrier package (TCP)form, or mounted on a separate printed circuit board (not illustrated).

Next, a manufacturing method of the display device 1 according to someexemplary embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7along with continued reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views of an intermediate product at anintermediate step of a process of manufacturing an optical touch filmaccording to some exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 6, a polymer organic material is coated on a carriersubstrate 110 to form a separation layer 120. The carrier substrate 110may include glass; however, any suitable material may be utilized inassociation with exemplary embodiments.

The first touch electrodes 410, the second touch electrodes 420, thefirst touch wires 411, the second touch wires 421, the first connectionparts 412, and the second connecting parts 422 are formed on theseparation layer 120. For instance, a first conductive layer (not shown)including a transparent conductive material, such as ITO and/or IZO, anda second conductive layer (not shown) including a low resistancematerial, such as a metal, are sequentially deposited on the separationlayer 120 and patterned. Part of the second conductive layer except forportions corresponding to the first touch wires 411 and the second touchwires 421 is removed to form the first touch wires 411 and the secondtouch wires 421 including a first conductive layer 411 a and a secondconductive layer 411 b. Patterning of the second conductive layer andthe first conductive layer is performed to form a plurality of firsttouch electrodes 410, a plurality of second touch electrodes 420, and aplurality of second connection parts 422. An insulating material isdeposited on the first touch electrodes 410, the second touch electrodes420, the second connection parts 422, the first touch wires 411, and thesecond touch wires 421 and is patterned to form a first insulating layer430 having contact holes 435. A conductive material is then deposited onthe first insulating layer 430 and patterned to form first connectionparts 412. An insulating material is deposited on the first connectionparts 412 and the first insulating layer 430 to form a second insulatinglayer 440.

Differently from as described in association with FIG. 6, verticaldeposition positions of the first touch electrodes 410 and the secondtouch electrodes 420 and the first connection parts 412 may be changed.

Referring to FIG. 7, after forming the sensor layer 400, the separationlayer 120 is peeled and separated from the carrier substrate 110 alongwith the sensor layer 400. A roll-to-roll peeling method may be used asa peeling method; however, any other suitable method may be utilized inassociation with exemplary embodiments. In this manner, the separationlayer 120 a may be positioned under the first surface SA1 of theseparated sensor layer 400. The separation layer 120 a may substantiallyinclude most of the separation layer 120 that exists before theseparation process is performed. Accordingly, the thickness of theseparation layer 120 a in the third direction Dr3 may be substantiallyequal to or slightly smaller than the thickness of the separation layer120 in the third direction Dr3 before the separation process.

Referring to FIG. 5, an adhesive material is coated on the lower surfaceof the separation layer 120 a positioned under the separated sensorlayer 400 and/or the upper surface of the sensor layer 400 to form anadhesive layer 10. The optical film 550 and the sensor layer 400 areattached via the adhesive layer 10, and the adhesive layer 10 is cured(or hardened) through thermal curing (or hardening) or ultraviolet (UV)curing (or hardening), thereby integrating the sensor layer 400 and theoptical film 550. Accordingly, the optical touch film 600 according tosome exemplary embodiments may be formed.

According to the manufacturing method of the display device 1 accordingto some exemplary embodiments, the sensor layer 400 is separately formedon the carrier substrate 110 and is separated and then attached to theoptical film 550 such that the optical film 550 may not be damaged bythe heating in the manufacturing process of the sensor layer 400.Further, this process also enables the optical film 550 and the sensorlayer 400 to have relatively high (or good) adherence. Also, the opticaltouch film 600 having the plurality of functions, such as the sensingfunction and the optical characteristic improvement function, onlyincludes one film such that the film cost may be reduced, therebyreducing the manufacturing cost of the display device 1 and thethickness of the display device 1.

Various modifications to the optical touch film 600 included in thedisplay device 1 according to some exemplary embodiments will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 8 to 31 along with FIGS. 1 to 5. Toavoid obscuring exemplary embodiments, primarily differences will bediscussed below.

FIGS. 8 through 31 are cross-sectional views of optical touch filmsincluded in display devices according to various exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 8, the optical touch film 600 a, which may be includedin the display device 1, is similar to the optical touch film 600;however, the sensor layer 400 may be positioned between an optical film500 and the display panel 300. The optical film 500 is substantially thesame as the optical film 550 described above. In the case that theoptical film 500 is a polarization film, the phase retardation layerincluded in the polarization film may be positioned between thepolarization layer and the sensor layer 400. The optical film 500 may bepositioned on the first surface SA1 of the sensor layer 400. Theadhesive layer 10 and the separation layer 120 a may be positionedbetween the first surface SA1 and the optical film 500.

According to some exemplary embodiments, since the optical film 500 ispositioned further away from the display panel 300 than the sensor layer400, external light reflected by an electrode or wiring included in thesensor layer 400 may be more effectively prevented (or reduced) frombeing recognized.

Referring to FIG. 9, the optical touch film 600 b, which may be includedin the display device 1, is similar to the optical touch film 600 a;however, the vertical direction (or orientation) of the sensor layer 400may be different. That is, the display panel 300 may be positioned underthe first surface SA1 of the sensor layer 400, and the optical film 500may be positioned on the second surface SA2 of the sensor layer 400.Also, the separation layer 120 a is not in contact with the adhesivelayer 10, but may be positioned between the display panel 300 and thesensor layer 400.

Referring to FIG. 10, the optical touch film 600 c, which may beincluded in the display device 1, is similar to the optical touch film600 a except for the structure of the sensor layer 400 a. For instance,the first connection part 412 a may be positioned under the separationlayer 120 a, the first insulating layer 430 having the contact holes 435may be positioned under the first connection part 412 a, the first touchelectrodes 410 a, the second touch electrodes 420, the first touch wires411, and the second touch wires 421 may be positioned under the firstinsulating layer 430, and the second insulating layer 440 may bepositioned thereunder. In this case, the main surface of the sensorlayer 400 a that is closer to the first touch electrodes 410 a and thesecond touch electrodes 420 than the first connection part 412 a isreferred to as the first surface SA1. The surface of the opposite sideof the sensor layer 400 a is referred to as the second surface SA2.

Referring to FIGS. 11 through 31, the optical touch films are similar tothe optical touch films 600, 600 a, 600 b, and 600 c except for at leastone high refractive insulating layer included in the sensor layer 400 orpositioned around the sensor layer 400. For instance, the at least onehigh refractive insulating layer may be disposed at a layer that isadjacent to and contacts the first touch electrodes 410 and the secondtouch electrodes 420 forming a sensor.

FIG. 11 shows an example in which a high refractive insulating layer450M is positioned at a layer between the separation layer 120 a and thefirst touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420. The highrefractive insulating layer 450M may be a refractive index matchinglayer to reduce total reflection, to smooth a pattern reflection of thesensor layer 400 b, and to decrease transmittance by smoothing therefraction of the light from the surface of the first touch electrodes410 and second touch electrodes 420. In this manner, the refractiveindex of the high refractive insulating layer 450M may have a highrefractive index close to the refractive index of the first touchelectrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420.

In some exemplary embodiments, the refractive index of the highrefractive insulating layer 450M may be greater than about 1.5. Forinstance, the refractive index of the high refractive insulating layer450M may be in a range from about 1.6 to about 2.0. In some exemplaryembodiments, the refractive index of the high refractive insulatinglayer 450M may be greater than the refractive index of any insulatinglayer (e.g., the separation layer 120 a and the second insulating layer440) except for a conductive layer (e.g., the first touch electrodes410, the second touch electrodes 420, the first connection parts 412,and the second connection parts 422) among layers constituting theoptical touch film 600 d. That is, the refractive index of the highrefractive insulating layer 450M may be the closest to the refractiveindex of the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes420 among insulating layers (e.g., the separation layer 120 a and thesecond insulating layer 440) of the optical touch film 600 d.

In a case that the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touchelectrodes 420 include indium tin oxide (ITO), then when the highrefractive insulating layer 450M having a similar refractive index tothe refractive index of the first touch electrodes 410 and the secondtouch electrodes 420 is disposed to contact the first touch electrodes410 and the second touch electrodes 420, total reflection may bereduced, and pattern reflection of the sensor layer 400 b and a decreasein transmittance may be prevented or reduced given that the refractiveindex of ITO is approximately in a range from about 1.7 to about 1.9.The refractive index of the separation layer 120 a may be smaller thanthe refractive index of the high refractive insulating layer 450M. Forexample, the refractive index of the separation layer 120 a may begreater than 0 and less than or equal to about 1.5. The refractive indexof the second insulating layer 440 may be smaller than the refractiveindex of the high refractive insulating layer 450M. For example, therefractive index of the second insulating layer 440 may be greater than0 and less than or equal to about 1.5.

In addition, the high refractive insulating layer 450M positioned incontact with the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touchelectrodes 420 enhances the film quality of the first touch electrodes410 and the second touch electrodes 420 such that it is possible toprevent (or reduce) defects, such as cracks, etc., from occurring in thefirst touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420. Forinstance, when the optical touch film 600 d is attached to a flexibledisplay device and is deformed (e.g., bended, curved, etc.), the firsttouch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420 formed of ITOor the like are likely to crack. Even in this case, since the highrefractive insulating layer 450M is disposed to contact the first touchelectrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420, occurrence ofdefects, such as cracks, etc., can be prevented (or reduced).

The high refractive insulating layer 450M may be a coating-type ofinsulating layer formed by a coating method. The high refractiveinsulating layer 450M may include an organic material (e.g., a organicpolymer material), and may further include nanoparticles. Thenanoparticles may include a material, such as zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂),silicon dioxide (SiO₂), and the like. According to some exemplaryembodiments, the high refractive insulating layer 450M may includevarious high refractive index polymers (HIRP) or an inorganic thin film.The high refractive insulating layer 450M may be formed through thecoating method in the formation process of the sensor layer 400 b.

The thickness in the third direction Dr3 of the high refractiveinsulating layer 450M may be in a range from about several nanometers toabout several micrometers; for example, may be in a range from about 1nanometer to about 10 micrometers. However, the thickness of the highrefractive insulating layer 450M may be changed according to thethickness and/or characteristics of the layers included in the firsttouch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420.

In some exemplary embodiments, the separation layer 120 a, the opticalfilm 550, and the display panel 300 may be sequentially disposed on thefirst surface SA1 side of the sensor layer 400 b. The optical film 550may be an isotropic film. An adhesive layer 5 may be positioned betweenthe display panel 300 and the optical film 550. The adhesive layer 5 maycomprise, for example, a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) material, andmay be able to be separated after having been bonded according toenvironmental conditions. An optical film 500 may be adhered on thesensor layer 400 b through the adhesive layer 15. The adhesive layer 15may have the same properties as the adhesive layer 5. The optical film500 may be a polarization film. Also, the adhesive layer 10 may be incontact with the separation layer 120 a. the high refractive insulatinglayer 450M may be in contact with the separation layer 120 a.

Referring to FIG. 12, an optical touch film 600 e is similar to theoptical touch film 600 d; however, instead of including the highrefractive insulating layer 450M, the sensor layer 400 c may include ahigh refractive insulating layer 430M disposed between the first touchelectrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420 and the firstconnection parts 412. In this case, a part or the entirety of the firstinsulating layer 430 may be omitted, and the high refractive insulatinglayer 430M may be disposed in the place where the first insulating layer430 is omitted. To this end, the high refractive insulating layer 430Mmay include contact holes 435M in place of the contact holes 435. Thecharacteristics of the high refractive insulating layer 430M and theeffects thereof may be the same as those of the high refractiveinsulating layer 450M.

Referring to FIG. 13, an optical touch film 600 f is similar to theoptical touch film 600 d; however, instead of the high refractiveinsulating layer 450M, the sensor layer 400 d may include a highrefractive insulating layer 440M disposed in a layer on the firstconnection part 412. In this case, a part or the entirety of the secondinsulating layer 440 may be omitted, and the high refractive insulatinglayer 440M may be disposed in the place where the second insulatinglayer 440 is omitted. The characteristics of the high refractiveinsulating layer 440M and the effects thereof may be the same as thoseof the high refractive insulating layer 450M.

Referring to FIG. 14, an optical touch film 600 g is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 d; however, the optical film 550 andthe adhesive layer 5 between the display panel 300 and the sensor layer400 b are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 15, an optical touch film 600 h is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 e; however, the optical film 550 andthe adhesive layer 5 between the display panel 300 and the sensor layer400 c are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 16, an optical touch film 600 i is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 f; however, the optical film 550 andthe adhesive layer 5 between the display panel 300 and the sensor layer400 d are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 17, an optical touch film 600 j is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 h; however, a curing-type adhesivelayer 10 including an organic polymer material may be disposed betweenthe sensor layer 400 c and the optical film 500, and an adhesive layer20 may be disposed between the separation layer 120 a and the displaypanel 300. The adhesive layer 20 may have the same properties as theadhesive layer 5.

Referring to FIG. 18, an optical touch film 600 k is similar to theoptical touch film 600 e; however, the sensor layer 400 e may have asimilar structure to the sensor layer 400 a. That is, the top and bottompositions of the first surface SA1 and the second surface SA2 may bechanged. For instance, the first connection part 412, the first touchwires 411, and the second touch wires 421 may be disposed on theseparation layer 120 a; the first touch electrodes 410, the second touchelectrodes 420, and the second connection part 422 may be disposed onthe first connection part 412, the first touch wires 411, and the secondtouch wires 421; and the second insulating layer 440 may be disposed onthe first touch electrodes 410, the second touch electrodes 420, thesecond connection part 422, and exposed portions of the high refractiveinsulating layer 430M. The first touch wires 411 and the second touchwires 421 may include a first conductive layer 411 a and a secondconductive layer 411 b. The first conductive layer 411 a may be disposedin a same layer as the first connection part 412, and may include a samematerial as the first connection part 412. The second conductive layer411 b may be disposed on the first conductive layer 411 a, and mayinclude a low resistance material, such as a metal.

As seen in FIG. 18, the high refractive insulating layer 430M isdisposed between the first connection part 412 and the second connectionpart 422 as an example including the at least one high refractiveinsulating layer. The high refractive insulating layer 430M may bedisposed in a layer in contact with the first touch electrodes 410 andthe second touch electrodes 420. The high refractive insulating layer430M may have a contact hole 435M positioned to expose portions of thefirst connection part 412. In addition, the characteristics of the highrefractive insulating layer 430M and the effects thereof are equivalentto those of the various high refractive insulating layers previouslydescribed.

Referring to FIG. 19, an optical touch film 600 l is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 k; however, instead of including thehigh refractive insulating layer 430M, a sensor layer 400 f includes thehigh refractive insulating layer 440M disposed between the optical film500 and the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes420. The high refractive insulating layer 440M may be disposed in alayer in contact with the first touch electrodes 410 and the secondtouch electrodes 420. In this case, a part or the entirety of the secondinsulating layer 440 may be omitted, and the high refractive insulatinglayer 440M may be disposed in the place where the second insulatinglayer 440 is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 20, an optical touch film 600 m is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 l; however, the sensor layer 400 gmay include the first insulating layer 430 and the high refractiveinsulating layer 433M between the first connection part 412 and thesecond connection part 422. In this manner, contact holes 435Ma may beformed through the high refractive insulating layer 433M and the firstinsulating layer 430 to expose portions of the first connection part412. The high refractive insulating layer 433M may be disposed in alayer in contact with the first touch electrodes 410 and the secondtouch electrodes 420. That is, the high refractive insulating layer433M, the first insulating layer 430, and the first connection part 412may be sequentially disposed below the first touch electrodes 410, thesecond touch electrodes 420, and the second connection part 422. Inaddition, the optical film 550 may be disposed between the separationlayer 120 a and the display panel 300. The adhesive layer 10 may bedisposed between the optical film 550 and the separation layer 120 a.The adhesive layer 20 may be disposed between the optical film 550 andthe display panel 300. The optical film 550 may be an isotropic film. Itis noted, however, that the optical film 550 and the adhesive layer 5between the sensor layer 400 g and the display panel 300 may be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 21, an optical touch film 600 n is similar to thepreviously described optical touch films; however, the optical touchfilm 600 n may include the sensor layer 400 b in a differentorientation, e.g., the first surface SA1 may be disposed further fromthe display panel 300 than the second surface SA2. In addition, theoptical touch film 600 n may include the sensor layer 400 b disposed onthe display panel 300, the separation layer 120 a disposed on the sensorlayer 400, and the optical film 500 disposed the separation layer 120 a.To this end, the optical film 500 may be a polarization film, and theadhesive layer 10 may be disposed between the optical film 500 and theseparation layer 120 a. The adhesive layer 20 may be disposed betweenthe sensor layer 400 b and the display panel 300. In addition, the highrefractive insulating layer 450M may be disposed between the adhesivelayer 10 and the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touchelectrodes 420.

Referring to FIG. 22, an optical touch film 600 o is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 n and may include the sensor layer400 c in a different orientation (e.g., the first surface SA1 may bedisposed further from the display panel 300 than the second surfaceSA2). In this manner, instead of the sensor layer 400 c including thehigh refractive insulating layer 450M, the sensor layer 400 c mayinclude the high refractive insulating layer 430M disposed between thefirst connection part 412 and the first touch electrodes 410 and thesecond touch electrodes 420. In this case, a part or the entirety of thefirst insulating layer 430 may be omitted. The high refractiveinsulating layer 430M may be disposed in the place where the firstinsulating layer 430 is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 23, an optical touch film 600 p is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 o; however, instead of sensor layer400 h including the high refractive insulating layer 430M, the sensorlayer 400 h includes the high refractive insulating layer 431M and thefirst insulating layer 430 disposed between the first connection part412 and the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes420. The high refractive insulating layer 431M may be disposed betweenthe first insulating layer 430 and the first touch electrodes 410 andthe second touch electrodes 420 to contact the first touch electrodes410 and the second touch electrodes 420. In this manner, contacts 435 Mbmay be formed in the high refractive insulating layer 431M and the firstinsulating layer 430 to exposed portions of the first touch electrodes410.

Referring to FIG. 24, an optical touch film 600 q is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 o; however, the optical touch film600 q may include the sensor layer 400 c in a different orientation,e.g., the first surface SA1 may be disposed further from the displaypanel 300 than the second surface SA2. Further, the optical touch film600 q may include the optical film 550 disposed between the displaypanel 300 and the sensor layer 400 c. The adhesive layer 5 may bedisposed between the optical film 550 and the display panel 300. Theadhesive layer 10 may be disposed between the optical film 550 and thesensor layer 400 c. The optical film 550 may be an isotropic film. Inaddition, the adhesive layer 15, instead of the adhesive layer 10, maybe disposed between the optical film 500 and the sensor layer 400 c.

Referring to FIG. 25, an optical touch film 600 r is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 l; however, the adhesive layer 20,instead of the adhesive layer 10, may be disposed between the displaypanel 300 and the separation layer 120 a. In addition, the adhesivelayer 10, instead of the adhesive layer 15, may be disposed between thesensor layer 400 f and the optical film 500.

Referring to FIG. 26, an optical touch film 600 s is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 k; however, the optical touch film600 s may include the adhesive layer 20, instead of the adhesive layer10, disposed between the display panel 300 and the separation layer 120a. In addition, the adhesive layer 10, instead of the adhesive layer 15,may be disposed between the sensor layer 400 e and the optical film 500.

Referring to FIG. 27, an optical touch film 600 t is similar to theoptical touch film 600 r; however, the sensor layer 400 f may have analternative orientation. That is, the top and bottom positions of thefirst surface SA1 and the second surface SA2 may be changed. Forinstance, the first connection part 412, the first touch wires 411, andthe second touch wires 421 may be disposed below the separation layer120 a; the first insulating layer 430 may be disposed below the firstconnection part 412, the first touch wires 411, and the second touchwires 421; and the first touch electrodes 410 and the second touchelectrodes 420 may be disposed below the first insulating layer 430. Thefirst touch wires 411 and the second touch wires 421 may include a firstconductive layer 411 a and a second conductive layer 411 b. The firstconductive layer 411 a may be disposed in a same layer as the firstconnection part 412 and may include a same material as the firstconnection part 412. The second conductive layer 411 b may be disposedbelow the first conductive layer 411 a and may include a low resistancematerial, such as a metal. The high refractive insulating layer 440M maybe disposed below the first touch electrodes 410, the second touchelectrodes 420, and the second connection part 422. The high refractiveinsulating layer 440M may be in contact with the first touch electrodes410 and the second touch electrodes 420.

Referring to FIG. 28, an optical touch film 600 u is almost the same asthe optical touch film 600 t; however, the optical touch film 600 u mayinclude a sensor layer 400 i, and may include the high refractiveinsulating layer 441M and the second insulating layer 440 disposed belowthe first touch electrodes 410 and the second touch electrodes 420. Thehigh refractive insulating layer 441M may be disposed between the secondinsulating layer 440 and the first touch electrodes 410 and the secondtouch electrodes 420.

Referring to FIG. 29, an optical touch film 600 v is similar to theoptical touch film 600 t; however, the optical touch film 600 v mayinclude the sensor layer 400 e of FIG. 18 in a different orientation,e.g., the second surface SA2 may be disposed further from the displaypanel 300 than the first surface SA1. To this end, the optical touchfilm 600 v may include the high refractive insulating layer 430M,instead of the high refractive insulating layer 440M. The highrefractive insulating layer 430M may be disposed between the firstconnection part 412 and the second connection part 422, the first touchelectrodes 410, and the second touch electrodes 420. The high refractiveinsulating layer 430M may contact the first touch electrodes 410 and thesecond touch electrodes 420.

Referring to FIG. 30, an optical touch film 600 w is substantially thesame as the optical touch film 600 n; however, the optical touch film600 w may include the sensor layer 400 d in a different orientation,e.g., the first surface SA1 may be disposed further from the displaypanel 300 than the second surface SA2. To this end, the optical touchfilm 600 w may include the high refractive insulating layer 440M insteadof the high refractive insulating layer 450M. The high refractiveinsulating layer 440M may be disposed below the first connection part412.

Referring to FIG. 31, an optical touch film 600 x is similar to theoptical touch film 600 w; however, the sensor layer 400 j may includethe high refractive insulating layer 460M, instead of the highrefractive insulating layer 440M. The second insulating layer 440 may bedisposed below the first connection part 412, and the high refractiveinsulating layer 460M may be disposed below the second insulating layer440.

Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the inventive concepts are notlimited to such embodiments, but rather to the broader scope of thepresented claims and various obvious modifications and equivalentarrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. An optical touch film comprising: a sensor layercomprising touch electrodes forming a sensor; an optical film; acuring-type adhesive layer between the sensor layer and the opticalfilm; a separation layer on a surface of the sensor layer, theseparation layer comprising an organic polymer material; and arefractive insulating layer at a layer contacting the touch electrodes,wherein a refractive index of the refractive insulating layer is greaterthan a refractive index of the separation layer.
 2. The optical touchfilm of claim 1, wherein the sensor layer comprises the refractiveinsulating layer.
 3. The optical touch film of claim 2, wherein: thesensor layer further comprises a connection part connecting two adjacenttouch electrodes among the touch electrodes, the connection part beingat a different layer than the touch electrodes; and the refractiveinsulating layer is between the touch electrodes and the connectionpart.
 4. The optical touch film of claim 2, wherein the refractiveinsulating layer is between the touch electrodes and the curing-typeadhesive layer.
 5. The optical touch film of claim 4, wherein theseparation layer is between the refractive insulating layer and thecuring-type adhesive layer.
 6. The optical touch film of claim 2,wherein: the sensor layer further comprises: a connection partconnecting two adjacent touch electrodes among the touch electrodes, theconnection part being at a layer different than the touch electrodes;and a first insulating layer between the touch electrodes and theconnection part; and the touch electrodes are at a layer between therefractive insulating layer and the first insulating layer.
 7. Theoptical touch film of claim 6, wherein the connection part contacts theseparation layer.
 8. The optical touch film of claim 7, wherein theseparation layer is between the curing-type adhesive layer and theconnection part.
 9. The optical touch film of claim 6, furthercomprising: a second insulating layer contacting the refractiveinsulating layer, wherein the refractive insulating layer is at a layerbetween the second insulating layer and the touch electrodes.
 10. Theoptical touch film of claim 2, wherein the refractive insulating layercomprises an organic material.
 11. The optical touch film of claim 10,wherein the refractive insulating layer further comprises nanoparticles.12. The optical touch film of claim 1, wherein the separation layer isadjacent to and in contact with the curing-type adhesive layer.
 13. Theoptical touch film of claim 1, wherein the refractive index of therefractive insulating layer is closer to a refractive index of the touchelectrodes than is the refractive index of the separation layer.
 14. Theoptical touch film of claim 1, wherein the refractive index of therefractive insulating layer is in a range from 1.6 to 2.0.
 15. A displaydevice comprising a display panel; and an optical touch film, whereinthe optical touch film comprises: a sensor layer comprising touchelectrodes forming a sensor; an optical film; a curing-type adhesivelayer between the sensor layer and the optical film; a separation layeron a surface of the sensor layer, the separation layer comprising anorganic polymer material; and a refractive insulating layer at a layercontacting the touch electrodes, and wherein a refractive index of therefractive insulating layer is greater than a refractive index of theseparation layer.
 16. The display device of claim 15, wherein the sensorlayer comprises the refractive insulating layer.
 17. The display deviceof claim 16, wherein: the sensor layer further comprises a connectionpart connecting two adjacent touch electrodes among the touchelectrodes, the connection part being at a different layer than thetouch electrodes; and the refractive insulating layer is between thetouch electrodes and the connection part.
 18. The display device ofclaim 16, wherein the refractive insulating layer is between the touchelectrodes and the curing-type adhesive layer.
 19. The display device ofclaim 18, wherein the separation layer is between the refractiveinsulating layer and the curing-type adhesive layer.
 20. The displaydevice of claim 16, wherein: the sensor layer further comprises: aconnection part connecting two adjacent touch electrodes among the touchelectrodes, the connection part being at a layer different than thetouch electrodes; and a first insulating layer between the touchelectrodes and the connection part; and the touch electrodes are at alayer between the refractive insulating layer and the first insulatinglayer.
 21. The display device of claim 20, wherein the connection partcontacts the separation layer.
 22. The display device of claim 21,wherein the separation layer is between the curing-type adhesive layerand the connection part.
 23. The display device of claim 20, furthercomprising: a second insulating layer contacting the refractiveinsulating layer, wherein the refractive insulating layer is at a layerbetween the second insulating layer and the touch electrodes.
 24. Thedisplay device of claim 15, wherein the refractive insulating layercomprises an organic material.
 25. The display device of claim 24,wherein the refractive insulating layer further comprises nanoparticles.26. The display device of claim 15, wherein the separation layer isadjacent to and in contact with the curing-type adhesive layer.
 27. Thedisplay device of claim 15, wherein the sensor layer is between thedisplay panel and the optical film.
 28. The display device of claim 15,wherein the refractive index of the refractive insulating layer iscloser to a refractive index of the touch electrodes than is therefractive index of the separation layer.
 29. The display device ofclaim 15, wherein the refractive index of the refractive insulatinglayer is in a range from 1.6 to 2.0.
 30. A method of manufacturing adisplay device, the method comprising: coating a separation layercomprising an organic polymer material on a carrier substrate; forming asensor layer on the separation layer, the sensor layer comprising: touchelectrodes; and a refractive insulating layer contacting the touchelectrodes, a refractive index of the refractive insulating is greaterthan a refractive index of the separation layer; separating the sensorlayer and the separation layer from the carrier substrate; and curing anadhesive layer between the sensor layer and an optical film.
 31. Themethod of claim 30, wherein the refractive insulating layer is betweenthe touch electrodes and the adhesive layer.
 32. The method of claim 30,wherein the separation layer is adjacent to and in contact with theadhesive layer.
 33. An optical touch film comprising: a sensor layercomprising touch electrodes forming a sensor; an optical film on thesensor layer; an adhesive layer between the sensor layer and the opticalfilm; a separation layer on a surface of the sensor layer, theseparation layer comprising an organic polymer material; and arefractive insulating layer on the touch electrodes, wherein arefractive index of the refractive insulating layer is greater than arefractive index of the separation layer.